After 60 days of waiting and 2 extra weeks of being unable to test it, I finally tested it last Saturday.
3 of my gang including myself received the Metal Tech 3 with all the goodies thrown in. Another friend also got one but without the floater wing kit and reel. I was worried the gun will sink with shaft out when the aluminum muzzle and reel installed. Riffe delivered the promise that it will float...it did float, slow and easy.
The weather was on our side. Two of us MT3 owners was on the trip with another guy with #4 Baja. I brought my #4 Baja along and rigged it for breakaway, just in case I need to freedive if we ever get lucky to spot the yellowfin tuna feeding again.
The result is better than expected. Even being a "false" mid handle, the short 127cm MT3 track fast, even better than my lightweight & short #2 at 124cm. It is heavy at about 5kg ( I am guessing ) in air with shaft and all , but in water it balance well but at least a -500 gram with shaft in. The only complaint is the butt not as comfy as teak models and kind of ugly with 2 of the wings, unlike the MT5 with full wing kit. Mine came rigged with 6 x 9/16 bands, 4 wraps of 500# coated cable approx 26-28 feet, 1000# Kevlar on the reel. I hunt only with 5 bands because I am comfortable with a single hand shot at this power level, for the time being. I tried 6 bands shooting my stringer float which is about the size of American baseball's ball. Need 2 hands to shoot from 20-23 feet at 6 bands for the time being, to be accurate. This is a very accurate gun, easy to be accurate even on a single hand hold up to 5 bands.
At 3 wraps of 500# coated cable shooting line which offer approx 23 feet, with 5 bands, shooting at nothing, there is still a decent tug of power left over. At 6 bands, I broke 5 strands of the cable on the shaft tab, when shot at nothing. That was the test result I had with my friend's MT3 a month ago, thus mine get rigged with 4 wraps to maximize range. At 4 wraps and shot with 6 bands at nothing, I did not get any significant tug by the shaft.
I estimated the deadly range of this gun is at 23 feet / 7 meters with 6 bands. If 5 out of 49 strands of the 500# cable can be broken by shaft left over pull energy, I am still getting at least 50 pounds of thrust at 23 feet, shaft length not included. The last penetration test I did from about 16.5 feet / 5 meters ( that's all the viz at that day 3 weeks ago) with my friend's MT3, was shooting a 1 foot thick submerged log. The Ice Pick went in some 4 inches and I needed to tow the 3 footer long log to the boat to have the Ice Pick removed with chizel and machette...DAMN !!
First dive allow me to test shooting a delicous fish that I have not shot in years and biggest to date of this species for me at +-5kg Green Job fish. I was 20 feet on top of it at a small angle. The shaft went from the right shoulder to the left side lower stomach. The fish turned white forward of the shaft entry, stoned. I inspected the wound, I did not realize that I must have been very much on top of it, nearly directly on top of it. The recoil was very minimal at 5 bands.
Then came a school of Rainbow Runners on path directly to me. Now I need to test horizontal long shot. The school changed direction when some 12 feet from me. I aimed at one and waited till it swam away far enough. It was some 23 feet away when I fired while the aim was at the mid body exactly behind the gill. The shot landed mid body but 1/3 away from the tail. Must be the swimming speed of the RR which I did not take into consideration. I pulled the shooting line and grab it close. When I was about to string it, it went mad and only later I realized that the tail was kicking all over the place and the pizza shaped front stabilizer of my gun was a bit damaged by the RR trashing. If it weren't for my gun in front of me, my mask would have been shattered. A part of the teak was chipped of some 3mm deep x 1 cm wide. It takes power to chip a teak with a spearhead, and all coming from a small but fat +-3kg RR. When I was on the boat, I then realized this is my personal best for RR. I was very confident with the gun.
Subsequent dive produces medium size trevaly and a small dog tooth tuna, nothing significant. I just enjoyed the long shots I made for all the fishes. My next target was the King Mackerel, which I saw only twice and it speed off like seeing a ghost. There were quite a number of times I saw +-5kg Dog Tooth Tuna, same size like I shot, none significantly bigger so I let them pass by. The more I dive this shallow sea mount, the more I think this is a Dog Tooth hang out. It will be a matter of time when a bigger one than my +-15kg PB will show. The same thought I have about the King Mackerel. Someday real big one must show up.....when ??
When I boarded the boat at the end of 4th dive, there he was my friend who is also on the "de-virginizing trip" for his MT3 , smiling from ear to ear. He landed a big Mackerel. I thought his 18 pounder Mackerel on Dive2 was good luck, this one is a shocker for me. I never expect a Mackerel this big hang out on this shallow sea mount. The biggest I have seen on my favourite pinnacle, which I thought was far superior than this shallow sea mount, was only some 30 pounder.
He thought the fish was much smaller. He was only on 4 bands and about to ascent when the Mackerel showed up. He fired and the Mackerel took off taking 2/3 of the line of the reel. After fighting it for some 10 minutes and manage to grab the cable shooting line he then surfaced dangling the Mackerel some 20+ feet below him. He asked the crew to grab the gun and he boarded the boat. Undo his gear and pull the fish up. He was shocked to see it at about 40 something pounder !!!! I analized the shot and I understood why he though it was a small fish being quite close. It was a actually a big fish far away, size gives distance perception problem even in not so great viz. He aimed at the regular lateral line but ended up the shaft entered the stomach, must be some 3 inches of drop. If it weren't for the reel, he would have lost the fish. With stomach shots, it will be ripped off. He was really happy and so did I. I purposely have asked all my gang to order the reel like mine because I had Mackerel being torn off when they speed off. It is not about having more line to play with the fish, it is about not putting much load on the flesh during the first initial fast run. Dragging a scuba diver is hell a lot of load for a fish's flesh. The weight of a 3/8" x 55" shaft plus some 100 feet of 1000# Kevlar line have tired this Mackerel.
I think I'll stop my search for a bigger gun. This is good enough. This is a nice small size gun with power to almost match my #4 Baja if 5 bands used and exceed it a bit if 6 bands used. With the swinging advantage I have and the minimal recoil ( even heavier than my#4 Baja), this is a winner. I have always wanted a small size under 130cm but super powerful and a semi mid-handle unlike Riffe teak models with 3" more butt to hit my face. I already found it. I don't know how a basic MT3 will perform but this fully rigged model is just awesome..
If an average freediver rig his MT3 like mine, I am sure he would love the short 127cm size for the tracking and the mass for balance. Me a bubble blower can't ask for more.
3 of my gang including myself received the Metal Tech 3 with all the goodies thrown in. Another friend also got one but without the floater wing kit and reel. I was worried the gun will sink with shaft out when the aluminum muzzle and reel installed. Riffe delivered the promise that it will float...it did float, slow and easy.
The weather was on our side. Two of us MT3 owners was on the trip with another guy with #4 Baja. I brought my #4 Baja along and rigged it for breakaway, just in case I need to freedive if we ever get lucky to spot the yellowfin tuna feeding again.
The result is better than expected. Even being a "false" mid handle, the short 127cm MT3 track fast, even better than my lightweight & short #2 at 124cm. It is heavy at about 5kg ( I am guessing ) in air with shaft and all , but in water it balance well but at least a -500 gram with shaft in. The only complaint is the butt not as comfy as teak models and kind of ugly with 2 of the wings, unlike the MT5 with full wing kit. Mine came rigged with 6 x 9/16 bands, 4 wraps of 500# coated cable approx 26-28 feet, 1000# Kevlar on the reel. I hunt only with 5 bands because I am comfortable with a single hand shot at this power level, for the time being. I tried 6 bands shooting my stringer float which is about the size of American baseball's ball. Need 2 hands to shoot from 20-23 feet at 6 bands for the time being, to be accurate. This is a very accurate gun, easy to be accurate even on a single hand hold up to 5 bands.
At 3 wraps of 500# coated cable shooting line which offer approx 23 feet, with 5 bands, shooting at nothing, there is still a decent tug of power left over. At 6 bands, I broke 5 strands of the cable on the shaft tab, when shot at nothing. That was the test result I had with my friend's MT3 a month ago, thus mine get rigged with 4 wraps to maximize range. At 4 wraps and shot with 6 bands at nothing, I did not get any significant tug by the shaft.
I estimated the deadly range of this gun is at 23 feet / 7 meters with 6 bands. If 5 out of 49 strands of the 500# cable can be broken by shaft left over pull energy, I am still getting at least 50 pounds of thrust at 23 feet, shaft length not included. The last penetration test I did from about 16.5 feet / 5 meters ( that's all the viz at that day 3 weeks ago) with my friend's MT3, was shooting a 1 foot thick submerged log. The Ice Pick went in some 4 inches and I needed to tow the 3 footer long log to the boat to have the Ice Pick removed with chizel and machette...DAMN !!
First dive allow me to test shooting a delicous fish that I have not shot in years and biggest to date of this species for me at +-5kg Green Job fish. I was 20 feet on top of it at a small angle. The shaft went from the right shoulder to the left side lower stomach. The fish turned white forward of the shaft entry, stoned. I inspected the wound, I did not realize that I must have been very much on top of it, nearly directly on top of it. The recoil was very minimal at 5 bands.
Then came a school of Rainbow Runners on path directly to me. Now I need to test horizontal long shot. The school changed direction when some 12 feet from me. I aimed at one and waited till it swam away far enough. It was some 23 feet away when I fired while the aim was at the mid body exactly behind the gill. The shot landed mid body but 1/3 away from the tail. Must be the swimming speed of the RR which I did not take into consideration. I pulled the shooting line and grab it close. When I was about to string it, it went mad and only later I realized that the tail was kicking all over the place and the pizza shaped front stabilizer of my gun was a bit damaged by the RR trashing. If it weren't for my gun in front of me, my mask would have been shattered. A part of the teak was chipped of some 3mm deep x 1 cm wide. It takes power to chip a teak with a spearhead, and all coming from a small but fat +-3kg RR. When I was on the boat, I then realized this is my personal best for RR. I was very confident with the gun.
Subsequent dive produces medium size trevaly and a small dog tooth tuna, nothing significant. I just enjoyed the long shots I made for all the fishes. My next target was the King Mackerel, which I saw only twice and it speed off like seeing a ghost. There were quite a number of times I saw +-5kg Dog Tooth Tuna, same size like I shot, none significantly bigger so I let them pass by. The more I dive this shallow sea mount, the more I think this is a Dog Tooth hang out. It will be a matter of time when a bigger one than my +-15kg PB will show. The same thought I have about the King Mackerel. Someday real big one must show up.....when ??
When I boarded the boat at the end of 4th dive, there he was my friend who is also on the "de-virginizing trip" for his MT3 , smiling from ear to ear. He landed a big Mackerel. I thought his 18 pounder Mackerel on Dive2 was good luck, this one is a shocker for me. I never expect a Mackerel this big hang out on this shallow sea mount. The biggest I have seen on my favourite pinnacle, which I thought was far superior than this shallow sea mount, was only some 30 pounder.
He thought the fish was much smaller. He was only on 4 bands and about to ascent when the Mackerel showed up. He fired and the Mackerel took off taking 2/3 of the line of the reel. After fighting it for some 10 minutes and manage to grab the cable shooting line he then surfaced dangling the Mackerel some 20+ feet below him. He asked the crew to grab the gun and he boarded the boat. Undo his gear and pull the fish up. He was shocked to see it at about 40 something pounder !!!! I analized the shot and I understood why he though it was a small fish being quite close. It was a actually a big fish far away, size gives distance perception problem even in not so great viz. He aimed at the regular lateral line but ended up the shaft entered the stomach, must be some 3 inches of drop. If it weren't for the reel, he would have lost the fish. With stomach shots, it will be ripped off. He was really happy and so did I. I purposely have asked all my gang to order the reel like mine because I had Mackerel being torn off when they speed off. It is not about having more line to play with the fish, it is about not putting much load on the flesh during the first initial fast run. Dragging a scuba diver is hell a lot of load for a fish's flesh. The weight of a 3/8" x 55" shaft plus some 100 feet of 1000# Kevlar line have tired this Mackerel.
I think I'll stop my search for a bigger gun. This is good enough. This is a nice small size gun with power to almost match my #4 Baja if 5 bands used and exceed it a bit if 6 bands used. With the swinging advantage I have and the minimal recoil ( even heavier than my#4 Baja), this is a winner. I have always wanted a small size under 130cm but super powerful and a semi mid-handle unlike Riffe teak models with 3" more butt to hit my face. I already found it. I don't know how a basic MT3 will perform but this fully rigged model is just awesome..
If an average freediver rig his MT3 like mine, I am sure he would love the short 127cm size for the tracking and the mass for balance. Me a bubble blower can't ask for more.
